This application claims benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. JP10-253990 filed Sep. 8, 1998 and JP10-309962 filed Oct. 30, 1998, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator without a machine room (penthouse), and which does not require a machine room for installing a controlling device.
2. Description of the Background
In general, an elevator is composed of a cage for accommodating passengers, a hoisting device for driving the cage, a counter weight for balancing the weight, a cable for connecting the cage and the counter weight via the hoisting device, and a controlling device for controlling the overall operation of the elevator. Such an elevator is referred to as a rope type elevator.
As to the space in a building for installing such a rope type elevator, in general, a shaft wherein the cage moves up and down is provided in the building, and an elevator machine room for storing the hoisting device and the controlling device (a control panel) is provided in an annex room at the uppermost part of the shaft. The controlling device necessary for the control of the elevator, including other optional components, has been accommodated in the machine room. Therefore, the primary use of the machine room has been as a place to perform maintenance work on the controlling device.
However, in a condominium or high-rise apartment, a machine room with a sufficient size may not be obtained at the uppermost part of the building due to limitations placed on construction such as the right of light. In this case, a hydraulic type elevator, capable of installing the machine room in the building has been adopted.
However, even in the hydraulic type elevator, a space for the machine room is required in the building, which produces its own set of problems in that the noise and vibration in driving the elevator are significant compared with the rope type elevator, and odor is generated by the use of oil.
One approach to solve such problems is to install an elevator controlling system in the vicinity of an elevator hall or in a cage and store a hoisting device at the uppermost part or the lowermost part of a shaft. For example, the depth of a door pocket, which is an elevator door storing part, in some floors is made longer than that of the other floors to form a storage area for the elevator controlling system.
The storage area for storing the elevator controlling device is provided at the elevator hall side of the door pocket where the hall door is located. The hoisting device is made smaller and thinner so as to be placed in a spare space at the uppermost part or the lowermost part of the elevator shaft. As a result, a building space other than the shaft for moving the cage, is not required. This is referred to as an elevator without a machine room, which has been developed.
Japanese Patent Application Publications (Kokai) No. 59-163270 and No. 2-127387 disclose the controlling device stored in the door pocket of the elevator hall at a certain floor. As to the customer specification, options to be added are limited so that all the controlling device components can be stored basically in the door pocket. Storage spaces for some controlling devices not stored in the door pocket are secured individually in the shaft, and the like.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a non-prior art elevator shaft concurrently under development by the assignee of the present application for explaining the known elevator controlling system. FIG. 2 is a lateral cross-sectional view of the shaft of FIG. 1 viewed from the above to the below.
In the elevator controlling system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hoisting device 31 drives a cage 32 and a counter weight 35 via a cable 34.
The cage 32 moves up and down along two guide rails 36A, 36B (the guide rail 36B is disposed vertically in the elevator shaft opposite the guide rail 36A). The counter weight 35 moves up and down along two counter weight guide rails 37A, 37B.
In order to omit the machine room, the hoisting device 31 is placed on and fixed with a hoisting device mounting base 47 fixed on the uppermost part of the cage guide rail 36A and the cable 34 lifts the cage 32 by two car sheaves 33. Similarly, the counter weight 35 is lifted up by a counter weight upper sheave 38. The cable 34 is fixed with the counter weight cable hitch 39 and a cage cable hitch (not illustrated). On the other hand, a controlling device 42, which governs the operation of the elevator, is stored and fixed in a door pocket 71 sized to store a hall door 41 in the open state.
According to the configuration. an elevator without a machine room can be realized.
The two car sheaves 33 are provided below the cage 32, with the cable 34 fixed by the cable hitch (not shown) at the upper part of the cage guide rail 36B. This is referred to as the 2:1 roping. By placing the hoisting device 31 and the counter weight 35 at the side surface of the cage 32 and adopting the above-mentioned 2:1 roping, the area of the shaft can be made smaller. As a result, the size of the shaft can be decided only with the size of the cage 32 and the size of the hoisting device 31.
On the other hand, in FIG. 3A showing the external appearance of an elevator hall jam 51 on the elevator hall side and FIG. 3B showing the cross-section on the elevator hall side, the elevator hall jamb 51 is provided with a controlling device access door 53 in the door pocket in which the hall door 41 is located, and the controlling device 42 is stored inside the access door 53. Moreover, a hall operation panel 52 is provided on the opposite side. An elevator user operates the elevator by pushing the call button of the hall operation panel 52.
In general, the controlling device door 53 is provided with a controlling device door key 56 so as not to be opened easily by a user. Further, an opening and closing detector 55 for detecting the opening or closing state of the door 53 is mounted on the controlling device 42.
However, according to the configuration, since the elevator controlling device 42 is mounted in the vicinity of the elevator hall used by an elevator user, if the controlling device door 53 provided in the jamb 51, and the like, is opened by mischief, and the like, not only the person who opens the controlling device door 53 but also the users in the cage may be endangered by mistaken or inappropriate operation of the controlling device 42. That is, if the power source in the controlling device 42 is switched off by mischief, the moving cage is stopped so that the users in the cage are confined.
However, on the other hand, the maintenance worker in maintaining the elevator operation needs to open the controlling device access door 53 to perform maintenance work.
Since the operation can be conducted in a machine room in a conventional rope type elevator, safe operation is allowed without unauthorized access by third persons.
However, since the controlling device 42 is disposed on the elevator hall, the maintenance worker is required to work in the environment where building users, that is, passengers and passers by, come and go, and this can be very dangerous. Since the controlling device 42 is usually applied with three phase voltages of about 200V, it is possible that a child may inadvertently approach the device and receive an electric shock, possibly also endangering the maintenance worker.
Thus, in order to prevent such problems, the controlling device door 53 is provided with the controlling device door key 56 so that a third person cannot easily open it.
Moreover, the opening and closing detector 55 for detecting the door state of opening or closing of the access door 53 and an operation circuit are provided so that the elevator is stopped when the controlling device access door 53 is opened for improving the security.
Next, an example of a circuit of a controlling device 42 installed at the uppermost elevator hall with the opening and closing detector 55 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4, which is a schematic block diagram of the controlling device 42.
The controlling device 42 is mainly composed of a power source section 57, a main circuit section 58 and a controlling circuit section 70. In the power source section 57, a power line 59 from the building is received by the main power source section 60 having a breaker, and the like, so that the power source is supplied to the controlling circuit section 70. and the like.
In the controlling circuit section 70, a CPU 61 having a 16 bit or 32 bit microcomputer is provided for control, and various devices are added to a bus 62 for administrating addresses and data. That is, controlling circuit section 70 includes a program memory section 72 of about 256 KB for storing a program for driving the CPU 61, a data memory section 63 of about 128 KB utilizing a RAM, and the like, for storing changing data, a specification data memory section 64 utilizing an electrically erasable memory device for storing data such as data related to the building and data on the speed or stoppage number, and the like, a signal input buffer 65 for converting an inputted external signal to a signal level readable by the CPU 61, and a signal output buffer 66 for outputting a signal dealt with by the CPU 61 to the outside.
On the other hand, the main circuit section 58 is composed of a speed controlling section 58A connected with the CPU 61 for smoothly driving the cage 32 and the main circuit driving section 58B for driving the hoisting device 31 with an element such as a transistor. The pulse signal generated by a pulse generator 73 is inputted to a position detecting section 69 and utilized to detect the position of the cage 32 or control the drive speed of the hoisting device 31.
A signal usually of about 24 VDC from the opening and closing detector 55 is inputted to the signal input buffer 65 and is converted to about 5 VDC in the signal input buffer 65 by a photo coupler, or the like, for the voltage transfer so as to be readable by the CPU 61 and stored in a register as an opening and closing detection signal.
The signal input buffer 65 and the signal output buffer 66 provide a high speed serial transmission for cutting down the number of lines, and exchange signals with the hall operation panels 52 at each floor via a serial transmission cable 67. A traveling cable 68 exchanges signals with the cage operation panel (not illustrated).
The traveling cable 68 includes the communication cable of an interphone 54 so that a passenger in the cage 32 can talk by the interphone 54 or to a building supervisor or the elevator maintenance company by pushing the call button (not illustrated).
According to the above-mentioned configuration and the controlling device 42, an elevator without a machine room can be provided.
In the above-mentioned conventional elevator without a machine room, the below-mentioned problems are involved.
(Problem 1)
Since a thin shape is demanded of a controlling device 42, only basic functions are accommodated therein. Therefore, when a customer specification not included in the basic functions is required, an auxiliary controlling device having at least one auxiliary controlling appliance such as an automatic landing device at the time of the service interruption, a monitor panel display device, a transformer for the air conditioner power source, an earthquake sensor, and the like, needs to be provided at a place other than the elevator hall storing part. As a representative installation place for the auxiliary controlling device, the use of the shaft where the cage 32 moves up and down is conceivable. However, a small size shaft is desired for installation in a building. Therefore, only a slight space is left at the uppermost part (top part) and the lowermost part (pit) of the shaft.
Moreover, for the installation of the auxiliary controlling device, the device needs to be fixed on the wall of the shaft, but depending on the structure of the building, sometimes a screw for the fixation cannot be mounted.
Furthermore, since the shaft itself is a highly humid environment, if the auxiliary controlling device is fixed on the shaft, water generated by dew condensation can enter into the device so as to cause damage to the device.
On the other hand, if the auxiliary controlling device is installed in the pit, there is a risk of inundation caused by a heavy rain, and thus it needs to be installed in a water proof box.
(Problem 2)
If an auxiliary controlling device is installed in the shaft, in general, it is difficult to separate lines provided between the controlling device 42 and the auxiliary controlling device such as signal lines including the above-mentioned high speed serial signal lines and a signal line of about 24 VDC, and an 100 VAC power source line. That is, there is no place for separating the electric lines for mounting the electric lines on the wall, besides, displacement of the lines caused by the passage of time cannot be avoided. Therefore, the operation of the high speed serial signals can be affected by noise. As a result, the operation of the elevator is affected as well, and in the case of an extremely strong noise, can be problematic.
(Problem 3)
If an auxiliary controlling device is installed at the top part of the shaft, it may be difficult to fix the device, and thus the device needs to have a 10 kg or less weight so that a worker can hold it by himself. Therefore, a heavy device should be installed at the pit, whereas Problem 1 exists.
On the other hand, in the above-mentioned conventional elevator, the convenience for easily conducting the checking operation of the controlling device 42 and any optionally added auxiliary controlling device optionally has not been considered.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator not limited by the structure of the building or the environment peculiar to the shaft, such as high humidity, in an elevator without a machine room and where the controlling unit is stored in the door pocket for storing the hall door.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an elevator allowing the safe and efficient pursuit of maintenance of the controlling device and having a controlling unit device and/or an auxiliary controlling unit installed in the shaft.
These and other objects are achieved according to the present invention by providing a new and improved elevator including a hoisting device configured to drive a cage installed in a shaft, a counter weight installed in the shaft, a cable configured to connect the counter weight and the cage via the hoisting device, a guide rail configured to guide the cage or the counter weight vertically, a controlling device installed in a door pocket, provided at a certain elevator hall and configured to control the operation of the cage, an auxiliary controlling device configured to operate an auxiliary function of the controlling device, provided in the vicinity of an elevator component provided in the vicinity of the door pocket of the elevator hall, where the controlling device is installed.